SEO in 2026
Majestic.com
SEO is continuing to change at an alarming pace. And yet, in some sense, the principles of good SEO remain the same.
Hello, and welcome to SEO in 2026 – a significant repository of current thinking from many of the world’s leading SEOs.
We're pleased to be able to welcome you to the fifth book and fifth series in this podcast, now well and truly an annual tradition, brought to you by Majestic.
“How people search has seen a bigger shift in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, and this makes SEOin2026 a must-read for anyone working in the industry. Majestic has brought together 117 of the SEO industry's brightest minds to share their insights into what matters, and what doesn't, to continue to drive growth with organic search during a period of massive uncertainty, and the book should be seen as a valuable reference point to keep your strategy on the right track.”
JAMES BROCKBANK
Managing Director and Founder, Digitaloft
“I highly recommend that every SEO professional set aside a couple of days for SEOin2026. You'll thank me for helping you plan your year effectively. I'm extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the world's leading SEO champions.”
NITIN MANCHANDA
Founder & Chief SEO Consultant, Botpresso
“This collection of wisdom from many of the best minds in SEO today is a great line in the sand of where we as an industry are, what problems we face, and how we tackle them. Anyone in SEO or marketing should be dipping into this on a regular basis.”
SIMON COX
Technical SEO Consultant, Cox and Co. Creative
“This series continues to be the industry’s leading source of the most timely advice a marketer could ever want. The most forward-thinking SEO experts in the world come together once a year to create this invaluable collection of new knowledge that should never be passed up on!”
PAM AUNGST CRONIN
President and Founder, Pam Ann Marketing and Stealth Search and Analytics
“2025 has been a sprint for the SEO industry, with AI reshaping how we understand visibility, relevance, and authority. SEOin2026 is not just another trends book; it’s a roadmap for what’s actually coming. I loved being part of it and seeing how experts around the world approach the same challenges from different angles.”
RAMONA JOITA
SEO Consultant and Founder
“David is good at drawing out the substance of a conversation. He will explore the topic and challenge assumptions, steer the conversation into an unexpected direction, and build on your ideas – making you think a bit deeper and sharper. Our recent conversation flew by as always, and as always – I’ve come out energised about the topic with more to think about.”
SUKHJINDER SINGH
Freelance SEO Consultant
Hello, and welcome to SEO in 2026 – a significant repository of current thinking from many of the world’s leading SEOs.
We're pleased to be able to welcome you to the fifth book and fifth series in this podcast, now well and truly an annual tradition, brought to you by Majestic.
“How people search has seen a bigger shift in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, and this makes SEOin2026 a must-read for anyone working in the industry. Majestic has brought together 117 of the SEO industry's brightest minds to share their insights into what matters, and what doesn't, to continue to drive growth with organic search during a period of massive uncertainty, and the book should be seen as a valuable reference point to keep your strategy on the right track.”
JAMES BROCKBANK
Managing Director and Founder, Digitaloft
“I highly recommend that every SEO professional set aside a couple of days for SEOin2026. You'll thank me for helping you plan your year effectively. I'm extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the world's leading SEO champions.”
NITIN MANCHANDA
Founder & Chief SEO Consultant, Botpresso
“This collection of wisdom from many of the best minds in SEO today is a great line in the sand of where we as an industry are, what problems we face, and how we tackle them. Anyone in SEO or marketing should be dipping into this on a regular basis.”
SIMON COX
Technical SEO Consultant, Cox and Co. Creative
“This series continues to be the industry’s leading source of the most timely advice a marketer could ever want. The most forward-thinking SEO experts in the world come together once a year to create this invaluable collection of new knowledge that should never be passed up on!”
PAM AUNGST CRONIN
President and Founder, Pam Ann Marketing and Stealth Search and Analytics
“2025 has been a sprint for the SEO industry, with AI reshaping how we understand visibility, relevance, and authority. SEOin2026 is not just another trends book; it’s a roadmap for what’s actually coming. I loved being part of it and seeing how experts around the world approach the same challenges from different angles.”
RAMONA JOITA
SEO Consultant and Founder
“David is good at drawing out the substance of a conversation. He will explore the topic and challenge assumptions, steer the conversation into an unexpected direction, and build on your ideas – making you think a bit deeper and sharper. Our recent conversation flew by as always, and as always – I’ve come out energised about the topic with more to think about.”
SUKHJINDER SINGH
Freelance SEO Consultant
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 20, 2024 • 15min
Build trust and focus on brand awareness – with Rana Abu Quba Chamsi
You can put the work into your brand identity, but your customers need to recognise and believe in it too. Rana Abu Quba Chamsi from Expando.Digital explains how to gain a customer’s trust and attention.Rana says: “Everything is changing, so build trust and focus on brand awareness for your clients.”Why do you believe that traditional metrics are losing their importance?“In the SEO world, we live with change, but what’s going on now is changing everything. We have witnessed a change in the ranking of websites, for example. SERPs are moving and some websites that have always been in the top positions are losing out to new websites.Read the full transcript of Rana's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/rana-abu-quba-chamsi
Dec 19, 2024 • 16min
Put brand SEO at the heart of your efforts – with Annika Haataja
Like Rejoice, Annika Haataja from Seeker Digital believes in the power of the brand, and she believes that brand should be central to everything that you do.Annika says: “Make brand SEO a firm part of your analysis and strategy.Consider brand almost as a superpower for websites and companies. I would count it as one of the three main pillars that can give you a huge competitive advantage.The first pillar is topical authority, which is about content and content marketing within SEO. The second pillar is link authority, and the third pillar is definitely brand. Although brand is part of both of those other elements, there are ways that SEOs can analyse it and make it a firm part of their strategy.Read the full transcript of Annika's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/annika-haataja
Dec 18, 2024 • 15min
Shift to Agile SEO - with Grégory Dominé
Grégory Dominé joins David Bain to discuss the importance of shifting to agile SEO.Talking points include:What does working in an agile way actually mean?What are the benefits of working in an agile manner?What are the practical steps that you can take in order to shift to Agile SEO?Are there elements of SEO that can’t work in an agile approach?What are examples of tasks that work really well using an agile approach?Does an agile approach help you get things done more quickly?How do you define what needs to be done first?How do SEOs move from their current approach to a more agile approach?Does working in an agile way help you work more effectively with other departments?What are the first steps that an SEO needs to take to find out more about Agile?Read the full transcript of Grégory's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/additional-insights/gregory-domine
Dec 17, 2024 • 17min
Identify the archetype of your brand – with Rejoice Ojiaku
In a world increasingly overpopulated with labels, Rejoice Ojiaku from Nelson Bostock UNLIMITED suggests brand archetypes as a way to make your identity cohesive and compelling to the customers that matter.Rejoice says: “Start incorporating and integrating brand archetypes into your content strategy to align your content and identify buyer personas.”What is a brand archetype?“Brand archetypes are a set of 12 frameworks. It is a more psychological approach to developing emotional connections with your audience through your brand. A lot of brands inherit these different distinct personas that can represent a brand identity and create a narrative within your audience about what the brand is."Read the full transcript of Rejoice's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/rejoice-ojiaku
Dec 16, 2024 • 15min
Take control of your digital governance – with Ash Nallawalla
Compliance is starting to have a more important role in many businesses, and Ash Nallawalla from CRM911 Digital is here to explain why digital governance is an area that you can’t afford to miss.Ash says: “Digital governance is lacking in most web-enabled businesses, at least in a formal sense.Although websites have been around for 20 years or more, their execution tends to be ad hoc, ultimately resulting in a less-than-ideal outcome for the business.‘Digital’ is a loose term that people use when they think of computers. In the context of governance, it covers websites, social media platforms, our software if we make software, and apps for mobile phones and tablets if we make apps. The definition tends to vary a little. It usually implies the internet; it doesn’t have to, but it usually does.”Read the full transcript of Ash's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/ash-nallawalla
Dec 13, 2024 • 18min
Get the most from the client-agency relationship by working together – with Anthony Barone
Effective communication is about more than just making yourself heard, and Anthony Barone from StudioHawk UK knows how to get clients and agencies to sing from the same hymn sheet.Anthony says: “I’m going to explain how to get optimal results from an agency and how an agency can get good results from their client.It’s all about working together and focusing on that relationship.”What does an optimal client-agency partnership look like in 2025?“Traditionally, it would just be: ‘We pay you, you do work.’ Then, sometimes, the client won’t actually know what you’re doing and it just keeps on rolling and rolling."Read the full transcript of Anthony's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/anthony-barone
Dec 12, 2024 • 17min
Talk finance to get the budget you deserve – with Anna Bravington
Building on Adrijana’s motivational advice, Anna Bravington from Those That Dare and Oxford Innovation Space helps you speak up and have your voice heard in budget discussions.Anna says: “Integrate SEO into the business better so that you can talk finance and get those CFOs to give you a budget.”Is it an SEO’s fault when they don’t get the budget or a CFO’s fault?“It’s a bit of both. There is a balance and tension between CFOs and CMOs. Apparently, 40% of CFOs don’t think that CMOs and marketing people can speak business, and marketers also don’t think that finance people understand marketing."Read the full transcript of Anna's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/anna-bravington
Dec 11, 2024 • 15min
What content is required for each stage of the buyer journey? Otuto Umeji
David Bain and Otuto Umeji discuss what content is required for each stage of the buyer journey.Talking points include:How do you create content for each stage of the buyer journey?How do you establish user intent?How do you know what type of content to write?How do you measure success?Read the full transcript of Otuto's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/additional-insights/otuto-umeji
Dec 10, 2024 • 18min
Recognise your value and start earning what you deserve – with Adrijana Vujadin
It’s not just the decision-makers who undervalue SEO; sometimes it’s SEOs themselves. Adrijana Vujadin from AV Mindset Coaching urges you to fight for what you’re worth.Adrijana says: “Stop under-earning.”Are SEOs bad at charging what they’re worth?“Yes, because people are not respecting them enough. That is why we lack confidence. Money, and money mindset, is a specific topic that not a lot of SEOs are talking about. Whenever we mention money, there is a negative attitude around it. People say that it’s not all about the money and they will say they’re getting enough."Read the full transcript of Adrijana's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/adrijana-vujadin
Dec 9, 2024 • 16min
Prove your worth – with Lucia Dello
In a world where the value of SEO can often be overlooked by decision-makers, it’s essential for SEOs to be able to articulate the value of their activities. This is where we begin, with Lucia Dello from Dello Insights.Lucia says: “Prove the value of your e-commerce SEO.”How do you prove the value of it?“In this world, where acquisition remains a challenge and marketing budgets are tight, we want to demonstrate that SEO is bringing in the people you want. Retailers are looking well beyond the campaign level. They want to understand their whole sales portfolio and how it's growing over time. Therefore, you want measures that don't stop at the level of the activity, engagement or a sales total."
